Key Takeaways
A sheriff’s deputy obtained 12 months in federal jail for utilizing a false affidavit to acquire cellphone location information.Prosecutors mentioned he tracked a non-public shopper’s estranged husband as an alternative of a professional theft suspect.The case is tied to cryptocurrency businessman Adam Iza, who has pleaded responsible to a number of federal crimes.
Deputy Lied to Choose to Acquire GPS Knowledge
David Anthony Rodriguez, 45, was sentenced Monday to at least one yr in federal jail after admitting he submitted a false search warrant software to secretly acquire a person’s cellphone location for a non-public shopper.
The previous Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Division (LASD) deputy pleaded responsible in July 2025 to conspiracy towards rights. Based on the Justice Division’s July 20 sentencing announcement, Rodriguez falsely claimed a detective had requested LASD’s Gang Surveillance Crew to help with a theft investigation in Cudahy.
The DOJ said:
“Rodriguez obtained a search warrant for the sufferer by mendacity in an affidavit to a Los Angeles Superior Court docket choose.”
The affidavit falsely said that Rodriguez had recognized a theft suspect who used two cellphones. He then claimed the sufferer’s cellphone quantity belonged to that suspect and sought GPS precision location data, regardless of figuring out the sufferer had no connection to the theft.
After serving the warrant on the cellphone supplier, Rodriguez obtained location pings, tracked the sufferer to Utah, and shared the knowledge with Eric Chase Saavedra, one other former LASD deputy who owned a non-public safety firm.
Adam Iza Circumstances Prolong From Deputy Scheme to Bitcoin Kidnapping
Rodriguez labored non-public safety assignments for rich Los Angeles-area shoppers whereas serving as an active-duty deputy. One was Adam Iza, a self-described cryptocurrency businessman who lived in Beverly Hills and Newport Seaside.
Iza, recognized in earlier reporting because the CEO of crypto platform Zort, was arrested for allegedly paying sheriff’s deputies in an extortion scheme. He later pleaded responsible in California to conspiracy towards rights, wire fraud and tax evasion.
Federal prosecutors additionally charged Iza in Connecticut, the place he pleaded responsible to conspiracy to intervene with commerce by theft in a bitcoin kidnapping plot tied to the theft of tons of of thousands and thousands of {dollars}’ value of BTC. He stays in federal custody awaiting sentencing.
Prosecutors mentioned Saavedra’s firm frequently employed energetic deputies and different legislation enforcement officers. Rodriguez admitted he knew contributors had unlawfully obtained data and used it to threaten, intimidate or oppress individuals.
False Warrant Bypassed Surveillance Safeguards
Cellphone location data can expose an individual’s actions, locations, and routines. The Justice Division’s digital proof steering explains procedures for acquiring digital proof, whereas Rule 41 of the Federal Guidelines of Legal Process outlines federal warrant procedures involving digital data and monitoring units.
Prosecutors mentioned Rodriguez bypassed judicial safeguards by putting false claims in a sworn affidavit. The DOJ famous:
“This was not impulsive conduct or a momentary lapse in judgment. It was a calculated abuse of authority carried out with full consciousness of its significance.”
Saavedra pleaded responsible in February 2025 to conspiracy towards rights and making and subscribing to a false tax return. He’s awaiting sentencing.
